Gender issues have been gaining more attention during the last several years. In the United States, the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) has been doing some programs to raise awareness on the issue of gender pay gap in the country. In fact, the United States has owned Equal Pay Law since 1963, but the progress toward equal pay is still very slow. The NCPE still notes the wage gap between women and men. The institution recently reported that women earn 80% of the men’s wage.

What Data Show About Gender Pay Gap and Virtual Jobs

A report released by Owl Labs notes that virtual job is one of the solutions for closing gender pay gap and strengthening inclusion and diversity. It can significantly affect the potential earning for the America’s workforce. A recent survey, which involved 2.000 professionals throughout the United States, confirmed the result.

Furthermore, Owl Labs fund that workers, who also do remote jobs are 63% more likely to earn at least $100.000 compared to those who do not work remotely. It is not surprising that the institution proposes remote jobs as empowering minorities. Remote employers are less likely to discriminate the workers, as they work in a result based system. Employers of remote jobs are less likely to consider age, education, or physical appearance to recruit the workers. As long as the workers are able to reach the targets and produce quality results, they will survive in the position and become strong candidates for promotion.

Unfortunately, the study showed that remote jobs have not been magic bullet to solve the problems of gender pay gap. This is particularly trues for managerial positions. Female workers, who work in managerial position, tend to earn more than fully remote female workers. The former also feels more optimistic about the future of their career.

In other words, in-person dynamics still play a crucial role in determining the amount female workers earn every month. Gender pay gap is still around, despite narrowing trends. Of course, virtual jobs are not the causes of the gap. Instead, they help narrowing the gap by providing equal opportunities for male and female workers to work remotely.

How to Fight Against the Gender Pay Gap

Are you interested in joining the fight against gender pay gap? You can begin from your organization. To raise awareness and ignite sustainable change, you need to begin from the closest settings. The following are some steps to close the wage gap:

• Salary analysis. Take time to review the salaries of the entire workforce and see the potential pay gaps. Perhaps, the basic salary of the workers is similar. However, the gap may exist when it comes to benefits they earn every month. If you find any disparity, initiate a change management team to update the numbers.
• Standardized benefits. If your organization applies a standardized salary system, you can proceed to the benefit system. Use standardized formula and objective criteria to determine the benefits. The formula may include location, industry average, performance, and experience.
• A remote work policy. Outlining the guides for remote jobs can be a challenge. Therefore, you need to set clear rules about schedule, targets, environment, and accessibility. These will ensure that all members in the virtual team are connecting equally.

There are still more things to do to close the gender pay gap in any organization. Check them out in the next post!